The “Osmothèque”
* Photo : Laëtitia NAVARRO Osmothèque
At the Osmothèque, the International Conservatory of Perfumes initiated and chaired by Mr. Jean Kerléo, there is a collection of over 1500 perfumes from all origins including some 350 perfumes "missing" from commercial channels. Many have now been reproduced faithfully according to original formulas consigned to the Osmothèque.
Many of these older perfumes are considered masterpieces of perfumery and represent a true olfactory heritage.
The Osmothèque, a veritable fountain of knowledge, is located in Versailles on the premises of ISIPCA (International Higher Institute of Perfumery, Cosmetics, Food fragrances and aromas).
In the Osmothéque collection, among the lavender or lavender-based perfumes one finds:
des "Soliflore Lavenders", such as :
"English lavender" by Yardley (1873).
"Royal Lavender" by E.D. Pinaud (1900).
"Lavande" by E.D. Pinaud (1939).
"Lavande 33" by J. Teysseire (1933).
"Pour un homme" by Caron (1934).
"Eau de Lavande" by Coty (1939).
"Lavande" by Roger et Gallet (1945).
"Arôme 3" by Orsay (1958).
"Pour Monsieur" by Rival (1962).
"Agua Lavanda" by Puig (1971).
"Encens et Lavande" by Shiseido (1996).
"Ferns" of high eminence :
"Fougère Royale" by Houbigant (1884).
"Jicky" by Guerlain (1889).
Aromatic "Ferns” :
"Eau de Toilette" by Lacoste (1984).
"Floral Bouquets" :
"Habéra" by Rosine (around 1925).
"Moment Suprême" by Jean Patou (1931).
"Blue Grass" by Elizabeth Arden (1934).
des "Amber flower seedlings" :
"Ma liberté" by Jean Patou (1987).
These and other perfumes can be sampled at the Osmothèque, 36 rue du Parc de Clagny, in Versailles, during normal or special sessions and on demand when on special exhibition in France and abroad.
Lavender is a natural product that is always of interest to perfumers and which is of major importance to producers and professional French organizations.
This was particularly demonstrated in 1991 by the Interprofessional Committee of French Essential Oils (CIHEF) who organized an international competition for men and women who created fragrances containing at least 15% of lavender.
The competition, judged by a jury of perfumers chaired by Mr. Kerleo was reserved only for perfumers under 40 years old. The participation was massive: 190 entrants from various countries, mainly France and Japan. The jury had to judge 20 anonymous fragrances, 10 feminine and 10 masculine, preselected by the ISIPCA.
By unanimous opinion, the 20 "samples" of "Lavender" perfume were deemed to have several remarkable aspects and demonstrated the many ways in which one can make good use of lavender in today’s perfume.
One should not forget that a good perfume necessarily contains a certain amount of natural products.
Their lack or an excess of synthetic products may compromise the quality of some existing fragrances, which a number of users complain about today.